Ledger-Enquirer reporters win Georgia Press Association awards for 2019 coverage

Ledger-Enquirer staff reporters received multiple awards from the Georgia Press Association for news coverage in 2019, including first place awards in business writing, breaking news and more.

Awarded stories range from topics like local business, restaurant reviews, the Montravious Thomas investigation, a dive into the local drag scene and the Beauregard tornadoes.

Many of these stories represent the collaborative approach we have in the newsroom. When there’s an opportunity to make a story better by working as a team, we take it.

Here is the full list of awards and submitted stories:

First place: Business writing, Allie Dean

• He moved his Columbus flower shop to make a dream come to life. Here’s an inside look.
• From ‘weird spot’ to ‘up-and-coming’ block: The evolution of 12th Street in Uptown
• A year after new rules, over 100 rentals like Airbnbs still operating illegally in Columbus

First place: Lifestyle/Feature Column, Nick Wooten

• I ate 11 desserts at Country’s in Columbus. Here’s what you must try.
• They say they have ‘the best damn fish and chips’ in Columbus. I put it to the test.
• I ate kangaroo and more at the chef’s table at Epic. Three words: Best. Meal. Ever.

First place: Feature writing, Ledger-Enquirer staff

• Paralyzed 1 year ago, restauranteur Mark Jones has a big goal: Get back in the kitchen
• After beloved football coach’s sudden death, his legacy lives on in Harris County
• No gay bar? No problem. Meet a driving force behind the drag scene in Columbus.

First place: Breaking News writing, Ledger-Enquirer staff

• ‘Lots of people’ still missing after ‘monster tornado’ rips through Lee County, east Alabama
• ‘People are here’: Smiths Station residents lean on each other as clean up begins

Second place: Breaking News writing, Ledger-Enquirer staff

• Police sergeant charged in medic’s death had to be handcuffed at her home last year, records show
• Columbus police sergeant accused of murder in a domestic situation involving a paramedic
• Sleeping pills, a gun, suicide: New details revealed about Columbus cop charged in EMT killing

Second place: Investigative reporting, Mark Rice

• Video shows physical confrontation between 13-year-old MCSD student who lost leg, school contractor

Third place: Enterprise storytelling, Nick Wooten

• The people. The town. The loss. What’s next for tiny Beauregard after deadly tornadoes
• What’s next for men freed from ICE, dropped off in Columbus? Meet the Paz Amigos.
• ‘Wasn’t nothing left:’ The other small towns affected by Georgia, Alabama tornadoes

If you want to help support and sustain local journalism, there are some easy ways to make a difference.

The biggest is to sign up for a digital subscription. Right now, it only takes $2 to get access to every piece of journalism on our site.

You can also show your support for free by downloading our app in the Google Play store or App store, sign up for our email newsletters, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Lauren Gorla

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

(706) 571-8647

Lauren Gorla is the senior editor of the Ledger-Enquirer. She joined the newsroom in 2016 as a digital producer and has also done local reporting in Columbus. She graduated with a journalism degree from Georgia Southern University, where she also worked for the student newspaper. In 2019, she helped oversee coverage of multiple award-winning stories including the Beauregard tornadoes, community features and other breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription